Weaving is, of course, one of the oldest arts and portable looms have been available for centuries. From a recent resurgence in the interest of weaving, there has arisen a need for a portable loom which can be transported easily and yet can be assembled or disassembled rather simply. In this way, a weaver can bring the portable loom to a class or to a demonstration or exhibit without the need for more complex looms and their attendant transportation problems.
Also, the portable loom is of such a design that a weaving or tapestry in progress on the loom can be folded with the loom in a disassembled condition for transport.
To these ends, a portable loom comprises a header and a bottom frame member spaced in parallel relation thereto. Side supports extend removably between the header and the bottom frame member to form a quadrilateral frame. The side supports each include means for adjusting their length to vary the tension of a warp which may be extended between the header and the bottom frame member.
The adjusting means for the side supports preferably include externally-threaded rods adapted to be inserted axially within the respective side supports. An internally-threaded abutment member is provided to seat upon one end of the respective side support.
Means are also provided for making string heddles, and the heddle-making means include dowels which can be received with respective apertures formed within the quadrilateral frame to enable string heddles to be formed therebetween. The portable loom also includes a stable heddle bar and a pendant heddle bar depending from the stable heddle bar to receive the string heddles for weaving.
By these structures, a portable loom is provided which can be assembled or disassembled rather simply; and when assembled string heddles can be formed rather easily so that the loom can be made operational to weave demonstration projects and the like without the need for transporting more complex looms.